Navigation for The Weekend

The Weekend for Saturday 21 January 2023

Hosts Max Towle, Perlina Lau and Evie Ashton on a colourful background, text reads "The Weekend with Max Towle, Perlina Lau and Evie Ashton" and there is an RNZ logo in the corner

Photo: RNZ / Jeff McEwan and Krista Barnaby

08:12  Haritina Mogoșanu : Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve

A move to create a Dark Sky reserve in Wairarapa will look to boost domestic tourism.

A move to create a Dark Sky reserve in Wairarapa will look to boost domestic tourism. Photo: Lee Mauger

Two North Island districts are the latest to be certified under the International Dark Sky Reserve movement, joining just 20 other places world-wide.

South Wairarapa and Carterton's night skies will know be known under the collective name, 'Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve', covering an area of 3,665 square kilometers.

Efforts to obtain the certification first began five years ago by a small group of volunteers. The aim was to protect the region's night skies from light pollution

New Zealand's first internationally accredited dark sky reserve was at Aoraki-McKenzie in the South Island, certified in 2012.

Astrobiologist and space science communicator Haritina Mogoșanu has been with the Wairarapa Dark Sky Association for 2 years.

8:35 Kaveisha Abeysinghe Perea: Celebrating Diversity

MIXIT team

MIXT team - Kaviesha, Zohal (back) and Ray and Sajal (front). Photo: MIXIT

A creative performing arts project celebrating youngsters with a refugee and immigrant backgrounds is culminating with a public show this weekend.

Mixit is a project which has been operating since 2006 and aims to use the performance arts as a way of helping new Kiwis to gain confidence and feel more at home in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Kaveisha Abeysinghe Perera first became involved in 2013 as a high school student, and two years ago become involved as a board member.

She tells Evie what impact Mixit has had on her life.

9:05 Sopie Ota: The Rise of Social Media in Politics

Sophie Ota

Photo: Supplied/Sophie Ota

Politicans are more often in the headlines for their social media gaffes than their successes.

But when they get it right it can mean real success in political capital and fund-raising.

So what's the winning formula?

Well Sophie Ota may have the answer.

The 26-year-old digital director behind Democratic Senator John Fetterman's campaign.

His engaging and entertaining social media presence has been cited as one of the reasons his political opponent - Republican Dr Oz Mehmet who found fame working alongside Oprah Winfrey - was blown out of the race.

9:35 Richard Smith: Street Skater to Million Dollar Park Designer

Masterton Skatepark / Pete Nikolaison

Masterton Skatepark / Pete Nikolaison Photo: PETE NIKOLAISON

Richard Smith turned a passion for skating into a career designing skateparks up and down the country

He visited 58 skateparks across the US, and has built 80 skateparks here in Aotearoa in just under 2 decades

Richard is here to tell us about the job, how to improve safety and what skateparks mean to communities

10:05 Thomas Cheesewright : Futurism

Artificial intelligence generic

Photo: 123RF

What will life look like a hundred years from now?

Will humans be living in space, or are we more likely to be too focused on growing enough food for an ever increasing world population.

And what about those predictions made 100 years ago? What did they get right about life in 2023 and what did they get wrong?

Tom Cheesewright is an Applied Futurist and he joins me from London

10:35 Hidden History: Te Rauparaha and Ka Mate

The famous Ngāti Toa Rangatira Te Rauparaha

The famous Ngāti Toa Rangatira Te Rauparaha Photo: Alexander Turnbull Library

Finally this hour we're going to play the fifth episode in a six part series looking at some lesser known events and personalities in New Zealand's history

Presenting the series for us is Thomas Rillstone who creator and host of the award winning History of Aotearoa New Zealand Podcast.

Today, Thomas looks at the story of Te Rauparaha the man behind the famous Ka Mate haka

We'll have the last episode of the series tomorrow.

If you're interested Thomas' other work - his podcast can be found at www.historyaotearoa.com

 

11:05 Hamish Annan: Exploring Human Connection

Artist Hamish Annan sits in a wooden chair across form a empty wooden chair as part of his performance Access.

In his new interactive performance Access, artist Hamish Annan invites the audience to step outside their emotional comfort zones, while exploring human connection, emotional vulnerability, and communal empathy Photo: Hamish Annan

A new performance by a kiwi artist is asking audiences to lay bare their inner-most emotions and feelings

Hamish Annan is an award winning interdisciplinary artist based in Auckland

His new interactive performance Access, takes audiences well outside their emotional comfort zones while exploring human connection, emotional vulnerability, and communal empathy

 

11:40 Nova Paul: Tē Ao Māori Film Making

Children sitting in a tree, still from short-film Hawaiki directed by Nova Paul

Still from short-film Hawaiki directed by Nova Paul Photo: Nova Paul

The Sundance Film Festival kicked off in Utah yesterday

Artist, filmaker and educator, Nova Paul is there. Her short film Haiwaiki was selected from over 10,000 entries...

We caught up with Nova ahead of her journey to the United States

Music played in this show

Artist: Fat Freddy's Drop
Song: Wondering Eye

Artist: Sade
Song: No Ordinary Love

Artist: Stevie Wonder
Song: Master Blaster

Artist:Disclosure ft London Grammar
Song: Help Me Lose My Mind

Artist: Led Zepplin
Song: Ramble On

Artist: Talking Heads
Song: Lady Don't Mind

Animal collective name Quiz answers

(1) A bloat of Hippos

(2) A shadow or prowl of jaguars

(3) A quiver of cobras

(4) An obstinacy of buffalo or herd of Bison

(5) A parliament of owls